Monday, June 25, 2012

Changes

In my second post ever, i wrote the following, "We've budgeted about $135,000, and i plan on doing much of the work myself. SO...Do we think we'll be able to get all of our money back out one day? We're not sure, but we plan on starting a family and staying put for a while. My wife and I have had a chance to check out some of the local shops and restaurants, including a Valentines day date at GATE 403, and more and more, we are falling in love with our new neighbourhood. So at the end of the day, it's not just about an investment in real estate, it's about an investment in lifestyle and from that perspective we feel we've done alright."

It's strange looking back and reading that today and thinking of all the changes that have happened over the years, and even more strange to share the news that this will be the second last post that i do on the Roncesvalles Victorian Reno Diary blog. The reason is that we've sold our home.

It was a difficult decision that we struggled a lot with. Just two short years ago Heather and i were care-free DINKS and our pretty little Victorian in Roncy was all the house we ever needed. Since then we've added two beautiful children with all their "stuff", a live-in care-giver and more frequent overnight guests. So as much as it pains us to move from the home we've worked so hard to make "ours", and our street with many friends, we realized that we need more space. I've been asked a lot lately how i can move after having invested so much time and hard work on the house? But i learned something very important, the week our house was on the market. To keep it looking it's best, Heather and the kids spent the week at the cottage and i stayed in town, so i could be around to tidy and turn the lights and A/C on and off each day. As i would come home each night after the last viewing was done, i realized our house never looked as beautiful as it did then, but without Heather and the kids there to greet me it didn't really feel like home anymore. I realized that no matter how renovated, beautiful or immaculate my house is, home is wherever Heather and the kids are.

We still love the neighbourhood, so we aren't moving very far (about 3 blocks). Still close enough to walk to all our favourite shops and restaurants on Roncesvalles, and even closer to High Park, where we've been spending more and more time. So as some of you may have guessed, there will be a new blog once we get settled in, in fact i've even picked up a new nick name - bye bye Roncy Vic, hello High Park Eddie! In the new blog i hope to share some more projects hopefully enlightened by some of the wisdom gained from this home, from life with children and from having a tighter budget. Hope to continue hearing from many of the readers that have made writing this blog so enjoyable. The link to the new blog, a house tour and a final farewell will be posted next.

You sir are truly my design hero. I’m a newcomer to your blog and read it through from start to finish over several evenings just recently. Your work is amazing …your carpentry skills are mind blowing. Loved your house especially your panelled bathroom and your Ikea hacks and will definitely follow your new blog. I have a couple of quick questions so hopefully this blog is still active and sorry to be asking these questions so long after the fact.

You mentioned way back you were going to use sliding barn doors on your basement laundry room. I might have missed a follow up post on that and if I did I was wondering where you sourced the hardware. I want to do something similar and cannot find any Canadian suppliers.

Secondly I really liked your idea of making those cheese/bread platters for gifts, I read your diy however I am no handywoman and just wanted to know the following:

1) you mentioned walnut …how thick were your boards. My local lumber yard stocks a small quantity of this wood but it looked way thicker than what you used2) what is chopping board oil (does it give it a colour stain or is it clear and where do you purchase it/is there a brand name3) did the boards really take 60 long hours of sanding…this part I find scary

Thanks so much for your kind words! The barn door hardware ended up going on the office instead of the laundry room (you'll be able to see them in the house tour - my next post). I bought all the items from: http://www.barndoorhardware.com/And frankly no matter where you get it, the hardware is VERY expensive stuff. However i bought more than i need (I have an extra box rail and an extra hanger with wheels), so if you live in or around Toronto, i'd be happy to give them to you free along with any advice on hanging them. Just email me soon, so i don't have to move it to the new house :)

The walnut slabs i started with were pretty rough, and ranged from 3/8" to 3/4" but averaged about 1/2" thick. When i cut them into individual boards, i tried to line up the cuts, so that each board had one side that was flat, so that the boards wouldn't be wobbly. The oil i used is called Watco's Butcher Block oil & finish:http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=53It's food safe and easy to apply, a little goes a LONG way.

The slabs i started with had deep saw marks all over them, so it did take me FOREVER to sand. Hopefully the boards you start with will be more finished and dressed.

Kyle I so appreciate you taking the time to answer me and thanks for the info on both topics. I would have replied sooner but I've been away and just got back very late last night. Just looked at your whole house picture gallery and WOW. Your barn door hardware is fabulous and I so thank you for your kind offer ..unfortunately I live in Vancouver (originally from Toronto and will be visting there this fall but that doesn't help you now I know. I would like to replicate your hardware. Really strange... I checked both www.barndoorhardware.com and wwwbarndoorshardware.com and sent them the photo of your door with hardware and both said it was not their product. I know you are in the process of moving so sometime if you have a minute perhaps you could tell me the style name etc. of what you used. One fellow said he thought it might be Stanley or Lawrence something ..from the photo it looks like it is a silver colour (perhaps stainless?) Again thanks a bunch.